Battle of San Mateo (1814) facts for kids

Ricaurte en San Mateo, painting by Antonio Herrera Toro

The Battle of San Mateo was a battle during the Venezuelan War of Independence in 1814.

Battle

In 1814 a series of battles between patriots and royalists took place in the Valleys of Aragua, in what is now Venezuela. The main house of the San Mateo estate, property of Simón Bolívar, was placed under the custody of Ricaurte and a small troop of fifty soldiers. During the royalists' attack, the army under the royalists' Second Commander Francisco Tomás Morales took hold of most of the estate, including the main house, which was used as the principal ammunition depot.

..... During the momentary disorder which followed the explosion, Bolívar seized the opportunity and launched an attack to regain control of the main house and later the whole of the estate.

The Battle of San Mateo ended with the victory of the patriots' army. It was later estimated the royalists lost more than ten times as many soldiers as the patriots during the battle.

See also

In Spanish: Batalla de San Mateo (Venezuela) para niños